January 6, 2023

Tips to decrease soreness:

Week one is just about over and you might be feeling a littttle bit sore (or maybe a lot of bit).

One of my favorite things to say to my clients is, “Workout today to workout tomorrow” so don’t workout SO hard today that it stops you from showing up tomorrow.

Yes intensity is great, but consistency will trump intensity every single time, plus you can always add in more intensity, but it won’t do anything unless you already are showing up consistently. 

How to modify your workouts if needed?

You can always lower the rep scheme, lower the weight, or lower the rounds in a circuit. Then you can build over time as you get strong. Please remember that this is a marathon not a sprint. Don't feel bad about modifying!! It's okay I promise!

What to do about soreness: 

-Move!! Staying stagnant or sitting all day only makes it worse.

-Drink lots of water (at least half your body weight in ounces)

-Hit your macros (correct food intake helps with soreness and recovery!)

-Stretching

-Massage

-Ice 

January 5, 2023

4 rounds - 

15 steps ups

15 goblet squats (20 lb DB)

15 sit ups

300m run 

FOOD:

Rice Krispie mini 

Protein shake with collagen

Banana

Avocado 

Protein bar

Coconut butter granola bar

Egg McMuffin 

DRINKS:

12 oz Diet Pepsi

Water - 80oz

January 4, 2023

 Wednesday is generally yoga day (at least on the Mamele app), which for me means a morning walk with friends.  However, with the snow and cold the morning walks have been temporarily put on hold.  After staying up late last night (work related) I chose to "sleep in" today instead, but knew I would need to fit in my 10,000 steps somewhere in the day.  As I got on a phone call, I decided why can't I go walk around the school while taking care of business at the same time.  The idea was brilliant, and I'm certain it will be a plan I follow in the future - talk and walk!  Close to 5 miles of "talk & walk" (there were several calls to make), and now I sit here with well over 13,000 steps for the day!  Wahoo!

As part of today's challenge we were asked to write a letter to our future self.  For now it's saved in my drive, but the day may come when I post it here...

FOOD:

chocolate protein shake with collagen

coconut butter granola bar

banana

1 chicken breast (grilled) with Chick-Fil-A sauce

6 white chocolate/candy cane dipped flat preztels

Healthy Choice fudge bar

    

DRINK:

12 oz Diet Pepsi

72 oz water

JOURNAL PROMPT:

“Today you will write a letter to your future self, to read at the end of our IMPACT challenge! This letter is designed to give you a clear vision of where you’re headed and set a strong intention of how you plan to show up for yourself throughout our six weeks together. What are your biggest goals to accomplish in the next six weeks and how do you deeply desire to treat yourself along the way? Write a letter to yourself stating how proud you are and excited you feel that you ALREADY accomplished those goals and write in detail of how you showed up for yourself. Write it all out in present tense as if you’ve already accomplished it. Instead of “I hope I exercise consistently.” You will write “I love that I have exercised consistently just like I said I would!” Another example is “I’m trying to speak kindly to myself.” It’s going to be “I am speaking kindly to myself and noticing a huge boost in my energy and discipline since I picked up this new form of self talk.” 

There are no limits in this writing. You get to decide what the goals are and how you want to feel, write it out as if you've already accomplished that. Describe in detail what that feels like and even the changes you've noticed in your life because of it. Once you'e finished, fold up the letter and tuck it somewhere safe that you can come back to read it at the end of the challenge. 

January 11, 2015

10 Push Press (45 lb)
20 sit ups
300 m run

4x

Then...100 crunches and 10 bench press


Bust - 32"
Waist - 27 1/2"
Hips - 37 1/2"
Thigh - 21 1/2"
Calf - 13 1/2"

Weight - 134.9 lbs

Ok so I am not quite back to where I started with my 6 week challenge, but pretty dang close!  I know it because I can feel it in myself and the way my clothes are starting to fit too.  Truth be told, I also know it because of the way I have been eating.  I haven't been holding myself accountable and now I can see why food is more important than exercise.  After all, abs are made in the kitchen and not at the gym right?
Today my school district is beginning a wellness challenge as part of earning our wellness points.  So for if no other reason, today is a great day to start fresh with my 6 week challenge!

Pre-work out:  granola bar
Breakfast:  banana
Snack: fruit snacks & sm bag of Scooby snack crackers
Lunch:  hamburger patty with grilled onions and scoop of mashed potatoes (leftovers)
Snack:  fruit parfait (vanilla yogurt, strawberries & granola)
Dinner:  fajitas (steak, peppers, onions, tortilla & tomatillo dressing)

*Water: 45 oz?

*According to a "how much water should I drink in a day?" calculator, I should be drinking about 30 oz. of water /day.  For Christmas I got a (40oz.) HydroFlask.  My goal is to empty it at least once a day.  Yesterday I did have to refill it, but I didn't drink much after that so I know it was more than 40oz and that's what really matters I suppose!

February 17, 2014

My sister came for a visit over the weekend and we got to talking about our upcoming Spring Breaks.  She is going to Australia and my family is going to Florida, but swimsuit destinations...YIKES!!  I told her that we should do a 6 week challenge so we wold both be in tip-top swimsuit shape!  If nothing else, I am going to food journal again so I feel more accountable for what I'm putting in my body.  Here we go...

Breakfast - 2 slices banana bread
Lunch - 2 slices of turkey and 1/2 c. mashed potatoes (leftovers)
Snack - granola bar, fruit leather, 3 choco covered banana slices
Dinner - 1 slice cheese pizza, 1 sm. cheese bread, cucumbers, cauliflower, and dill pickles, and yes...
Dessert - strawberry shortcake

Water - 10 c.

*Since it was a holiday and my neice's 2nd birthday, we combined the 2 and had a family dinner. Little did I know that on day 1 of my new challenge, they would be serving pizza!  I guess day one can be chalked up to as a cheat day! LOL

July 1, 2013

I was out of town for most of last week, and summer has been, well....busy!  I love summer for many reasons, but at the same time I hate losing the routine of life.  It seems my family is out of town a lot, with traveling to ball tournaments, camping, visiting family, etc.  I have continued to exercise through the summer, but I don't always have the time or access to record my data.  I will try to get better.
As I mentioned earlier, the 6 week challenge ended about 2 weeks ago.  It opened my eyes to many things and I am proud that I took on the challenge.  Even though it has ended, I would like to continue with many of the things I learned and incorporated.  I still haven't touched pop since the challenge began.  Truthfully I've never been a HUGE pop drinker, but I do enjoy a Diet Pepsi with crushed ice every now and then.  I would like to say that I have stayed away from sugar and junk food, but I am only human!  That's where I need to get strict again.  I know that I can never give it up fully, but I did like being aware of what I was putting into my body and trying to make healthier snack choices.
Speaking of the 6 week challenge...tonight it was announced that I WON!!!  I couldn't believe it!  There were a total of 9 of us that put in for the challenge.  At $10 a person, that means I made $80!!!  They said it was hard to pick a winner because there was a 3 way tie with the point system* so they decided to break the tie by looking at the number of inches lost.  Apparently, even that was a close call.  I lost a total of 13 inches and 2nd place lost 12 1/2 inches.  I felt bad for the girl that lost in that close of a challenge.  Overall, it was a great experience and I'm glad I decided to take part!

*6 week challenge point system - Each person could earn a point for the following things...
1.  Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.
2.  Paleo or your own exercise plan (such as my case)
3.  Drink at least 8 c. of water a day
4. Exercise

In other words, a person has the potential to earn up to 4 points in a day.  However, with having a rest day cheat day/meal, not getting enough sleep of drinking enough water, the numbers begin to vary from one another.


EXERCISE:
Walk 2 1/2 miles
Run 3.1 miles (5K)
Crossfit WOD:
2 rounds for time:
50 sit ups
50 push ups
25 box jumps
5 wall walks
400m run

Time:  17:30

Challenge - End of Week 6

Exercise:
Walk 2 1/2 miles

(I need  to go up to the track later to time my 1600m/1 mile run.  Hopefully I can also get in my xfit WOD this evening, although I am suppose to go somewhere at 7pm so we will see how the the day plays out.)

FOOD:
Breakfast - strawberry Greek yogurt
Snack - (2) chocolate covered banana slices
Lunch - Quesadilla with leftover ground hamburger & a piece of my strawberry shortcake birthday cake
Snack - slice of homemade wheat bread
Dinner - hamburger (no bun), handful of homemade fries, handful of Doritos, dill pickle and blueberry smoothie.

Today marks the OFFICIAL end of the 6 week challenge, although I was texted and told it ended on Saturday, I decided to go with today since we started it on a Monday.  Regardless, I have realized something through this 6 week journey.  I realized this wasn't JUST a 6 week challenge, but a challenge I am hoping to embrace from here on out.  The changes that I have seen in myself in the short amount of time were eye opening for me.  The measurements, the weight loss, changes in my clothes, comments from others, not feeling so bloated, the improvements in my times, the list goes on and on.  I saw this on Pinterest, and even though it mentions 12 weeks, this was a 6 week challenge and I saw these kinds of changes within that time frame...

I have to say, I am so proud of myself for doing this challenge and seeing it through to the end.  I haven't looked this way since my sophomore year of college or even high school.  When I first started Crossfit, I considered myself an active person.  I was a runner only then, doing a few races here and there, but when the school year started it was harder for me to stay committed to the running, especially in the colder months.  I saw Crossfit as an opportunity to become more active and to enjoy working out with friends, some I didn't even know yet.  I was 130 lbs. and a size 8 in jeans and with 4 kids, I was thrilled by that.  However, within a few weeks of joining Crossfit, I had lost 5 pounds and a pant size without trying.  For me, I think it was drinking a lot more water that helped with that aspect.  It's funny because when this challenge came about I knew I wanted to try it because I had felt myself slipping back towards those size 8 jeans.  Again not bad, but I knew what I had.  At that point, I was starting to eat crappy and making excuses, saying that I worked out hard so I earned that bowl of ice cream, candy bar, piece of cake, etc.  I knew I had an addiction...to sugar, and it was bad!  I wanted to see in this challenge if I could do just that; challenge myself!  My biggest challenge...sugar!  Throughout the 6 weeks, I wasn't 100% perfect 100% of the time, but I was conscience and tried to make better choices throughout.  My favorite go-to sweet were the Dole Banana Dippers.  I was able to eat my chocolate in a way without feeling guilty.  They are delicious...if you like bananas and dark chocolate!  (I got a large box at Costco, but I am sure you can fin them at about any grocery aisle...in the frozen section.)

Something that was brought to my attention during the challenge was the way I felt.  It wasn't just about the physical change, although that was nice too.  For the past 10 years or more, my body has been sensitive to food.  Fried foods and dairy tend to upset my stomach the most.  I try to watch my intake in those food areas, but I'm only human and I do like french fries and ice cream!  Last night as I enjoyed a taco salad for dinner I decided I would finish the meal off by eating the shell, which had been deep fried.  Since I have avoided fried foods for the past month and a half, eating the taco shell reminded me of how my stomach used to hurt by those kinds of foods.  It's funny how your body has to remind your brain what foods are bad for you.  Like I mentioned, I am only human so I don't plan on giving up fried foods or unhealthy junk food forever, but I definitely hope from here on out I am more aware of what I am eating!

Okay so here are the final results....drum roll please... :)

END OF WEEK 6:

Measurement Updates (As of 06/17/13):

Thigh - 19 1/4" (down 2  1/4")

Calf - 13" (down 3/4")

Chest - 29 1/2" (down 3")

Hips - 31" (down 2 1/2")

Waist - 25" (down 3 3/4")

Bicep - 9 3/4" (down 3/4")

Total inches lost:  13"

Weight - 120 lbs.

Total weight lost:  10 lbs.

Comparison Run (1600m/1 mile)

Beginning of the challenge - 8:37
End of the challenge - 7:57 (40 seconds faster than my initial time!!)

Challenge - End of Week 5

Exercise:  Morning Walk:  2 1/2 miles

One week left in this challenge, and I can't believe the changes I have seen so far!!

END OF WEEK 5:
Measurement Updates (As of 06/12/13):

Thigh - 19 3/4" (down 1 3/4")
Calf - 12 3/4" (down 1")
Chest - 30 3/4" (down 1 3/4")
Hips - 31" (down 2 1/2")
Wasit - 25 1/2" (down 3 1/4")
Bicep - 9 3/4" (down 3/4")

Total inches lost:  11"

Weight - 123 lbs.
Total weight lost:  7 lbs.

FOOD:
Pre-walk - banana
Breakfast - 1/2 muffin
Lunch - grilled cheese with chips and salsa
Snack - fruit leather
Dinner - hamburger
Water - 10 c.

Challenge - End of Week 4

3-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1

front squats for max load

110 lbs.  (A NEW PR...by 20 lbs.!!)

In other good news...I took my measurements this morning for the end of week 4 and here's where I stand:
END OF WEEK 4:
Measurement Updates:

Thigh - 20 1/4" (down 1 1/4")
Calf - 13" (down 3/4")
Chest - 31" (down 1 1/2")
Hips - 32" (same/down 1 1/2")
Wasit - 26" (same/down 2 3/4")
Bicep - 10" (down 1/2")

Total inches lost:  8 1/4" WAHOO!!

Weight - 123 lbs.

Total weight lost:  7 lbs.

I seriously can't believe what just giving up junk food and pop can do for a person.  It's crazy!!  In fact, I came across this saying and feel like it totally fits for the way I have been eating lately...

FOOD:
Breakfast - blueberry Greek yogurt
Snack - 2 slices of banana bread
Lunch - 

Challenge - End of Week 3

21-15-9
kettlebell swings 53/35
sit ups

run 200 m after each set

Time:  5:48 Rx

FOOD:

Breakfast - strawberries, watermelon, choco. protein shake & bowl of oatmeal (*plus a granola bar at 4am!  I drank A LOT of water after completing the Murph and since it was late in the evening when I got home I didn't eat anything with it.  At 4 am my stomach woke me up so I had to grab something to eat.  :) ).
Lunch - Sm. Bajio salad with black beans, rice and beef
Dinner - Choco protein shake & apple
Water - 7c.

Measurement Updates:
I took my measurements again this morning and here are the results and comparisons to week 1:

Thigh - 20 1/2" (down 1")
Calf - 13 1/4" (down 1/2")
Chest - 31 1/2" (down 1")
Hips - 32" (down 1 1/2")
Waist - 26 " (down 2 3/4")
Bicep - 10 1/4" (down 1/4")

Total inches lost:  6 1/4"

Weight - 123 lbs.
Total weight lost:  7 lbs.

Challenge - End of Week 2

12 KB swings 70/53
12 Burpees
12 air squats
Run 600 meters
12 chest to bar pull ups
12 toes to bar
12 walking lunges
Run 600 meters

2 rounds

Time:  22:56 
(45 lbs. kettlebell swing and chin to bar aka pull up...as best as I could.)

FOOD:

Breakfast - Greek yogurt
Snack - (1) graham cracker
Lunch - Homemade Cafe Rio salad - lettuce, tomatoes, sweet pork, chicken, cilantro dressing
Snack - Choco protein shake
Dinner - Croissant sandwich with 2 slices of turkey and mayo and mustard
Water - 8 c.

Measurement Updates:
I forgot/didn't have time to do my measurements on Monday, so I took them today.  Here are the results and comparisons from week 1:

Thigh - 20 1/2" (down 1")
Calf - 13 1/4" (down 1/2")
Chest - 32" (down 1/2")
Hips - 33 1/2" (same, but I'm not sure if I measured right from the beginning?!?)
Waist - 27 1/4" (down 1 1/2")
Bicep - 10 1/2" (same)
Total inches lost:  3 1/2" so far...motivation to eat less sugar right there!!

Weight - 123 lbs.
Total weight lost:  7 lbs.

Challenge - End of Week 1

Today marks the end of week 1 and I have to confess I never thought in a million years I would actually be able to give up sugar for 1 week, but now I am determined to do it the whole way through!  I haven't given up sugar 100% since it is literally found in EVERYTHING!  However, I am not eating (or drinking) the sugary stuff.  In fact the only liquid I have had since beginning the challenge has been water, with the exception of my protein shakes, which are made with a cup of water!

My measurements after 1 week:
Thigh - 21 1/4" (down 1/4")
Calf - 13 1/2 " (down 1/4")
Chest - 32 1/2" (same...that's a bonus!)
Hips - 33 1/2" (same)
Waist - 27 3/4" (down 1")
Bicep - 10 1/2" (same)

Weight: 125 lbs. (down 5 lbs.)

Challenge Day 1

My friends from Crossfit had a challenge a few months back.  The challenge involved many different aspects, but the one thing that I couldn't commit myself to do was the diet.  PALEO!  It sounded WAY too restrictive for me.  Paleo consists of meats, veggies, small amounts of fruit, and nuts.  Now I realize this all sounds healthy, like things I should be eating anyway, but my problem is there are few veggies I actually like (oh how I wish I could change that!) and I am not a huge fan of nuts.  I knew I would see results, but only because I would be starving myself.  Plus, can I add that I love chocolate way too much!
Well, my friends are going at it again, and this time I am planning to join in.  Mainly because of one difference...you can come up with your own diet, but you have to stick with it during the 6 week challenge.  Phew!  That means I can eat my Greek yogurt for breakfast and be okay!
Here are the guidelines of the challenge.

Exercise 6 days a week
Drink at least 64 oz. (8 cups) of water
Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night
Paleo (or diet plan) with 1 cheat meal allowed/week

That's it!  Today is Day one and the challenge will last for 6 weeks, meaning the last day will be on June
Everyone put in $10, so I would assume winner takes all from the pot, but I'm really not 100% sure.  Oh and the other thing.  There are two WOD's we are going to record at the beginning and again at the end to see the progress.

Linda (aka "3 bars of death")...sounds thrilling from the title alone!  And a 1600m run, which I am excited for!

MY DIET PLAN:

NO pop
NO caffeine
NO fried foods
NO (very limited) processed food (means better snacking choices)
SMALLER portions

Here are my measurements from Day 1:
Thigh:  21 1/2"
Calf:  13 3/4"
Chest:  32 1/2"
Hips:  33 1/2"
Waist:  28 3/4"
Bicep:  10 1/2"
(All of these are taken from the largest area and flexing if possible, with the exception of waist.)

Weight:  130 lbs.

Food Today:
Breakfast - Chobanni Greek Yogurt (strawberry)
Snack - Babybel mini cheese wheel
Lunch - Salad with raspberry vinaigrette (I even turned down pizza from The Brick Oven for teacher appreciation week!)
Snack - Vanilla protein shake with banana
Dinner - Hamburger & corn casserole with 1/2 slice of homemade wheat bread
Water - 9 c.